0 Two Saudi kingdoms formed and collapsed Timeline of Saudi history 1800s / / / Ibn Saud captures Riyadh and builds a Saudi state Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proclaimed after capturing Mecca/Medina Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia by ARAMCO King Saud takes power Founding of OPEC Liberal Princes move to Cairo King Saud deposed by his brother Faisal Oil boycott of the US King Faisal assassinated/ Khalid takes power Islamists seize control of the Grand Mosque SA takes control of ARAMCO Khalid dies and is replaced by King Fahd US troops stationed for Gulf War More terrorism/ pressure for reform US pulls out First ever municipal elections King Fahd dies/ succeeded by Abdullah Liberal and Islamist demands lead to Basic Law and Majlis Attacks on US military facilities

1 Saudi political institutions State development –No direct experience with colonialism –Early political institutions were tribal and extremely informal –Importance of the king and tribal customs Council of Ministers –The place where the next in line to rule have a power base –Key ministries are controlled by the royal family Majlis al-Shura –Developed as part of the basic law of 1992 –Started as 60 members, and ultimately increased to 150 members –Role: questions cabinet members and provides advice on decisions Courts –Developed based on the shari’a and give out hudud punishments like beheading, amputations, and flogging Municipal councils –2005 and 2011 elections filled ½ of municipal councils –2% of the population voted in 2011 –Approve local budgets, suggest planning regulations, and oversee building projects King Abdullah The “cautious reformer”

2 Family and distributive politics in Saudi Arabia The family-run state –A’iliyya: familialism –Politics as doing what is right for the whole Saud family –Political relationships are based on promises of protection, a recognition of interdependence, and accountability to the family –To get things done, you need a powerful sponsor –The reputation of the family is exceptionally important as it can be traded as currency Distributive politics –Oil wealth is distributed through the family across prominent families and reinforces family reputations –A group in the middle class is sponsored by a royal family member—they work to prevent further access to the royal distributive network –Jobs are given out by sponsors, not often by interviews Headquarters of Saudi Aramco

3 Religion and politics in Saudi Arabia The Wahhabi alliance –Early alliance with a Wahhabi tradition of conservative politics –Saud alliance with the pious Sheikh family Role of the ulema –Provide religious advice to the ruling family –Issue legal judgments “fatwas” in support of the ruling family –Example: fatwa given at request of the royal family to execute those who took over the Grand Mosque in 1979 Religious committees –Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice Morality police that work to find and punish violations of shari’a Fear as social control –Hajj/Great Mosque committees

4 Liberal and religious dissent Shi’a riots –Minority Shi’a riots in the Eastern provinces –Iranian-sponsored Shi’a riots during the hajj on several occasions in the 1980s –Khomeini’s request for Shi’a to overthrow the Saudi state Liberal dissent –Liberal petition “letter of demands” (1992) –Women’s drive-in –Recent women’s activism Memorandum of Advice (1992) –Islamist critique of: Ulema as subservient to ruling family Lack of full application of the shari’a Western-oriented foreign policy Poor application of Islamic finance; skewed distribution of oil wealth Islamist radicalism –Found the presence of US troops as a key objection –Represented foremost by al-Qa’ida –Bombed US barracks, attacks on foreigners in the kingdom –State response balances repression and “rehabilitiation”

5 The Future of Saudi Arabia Will the government liberalize? How will the country deal with Islamist challenges? Will the country maintain its dependence on oil? Can traditional Saudi culture be maintained? What role will the country play in broader Arab affairs? Key Issues